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Updated: Aug 21, 2026

Using Microfluidics and Fluorescence Microscopy to Study the Assembly Dynamics of Single Actin Filaments and Bundles
Published on: May 5, 2022
Scaling of F-actin network rheology to probe single filament elasticity and dynamics
M L Gardel1, J H Shin, F C MacKintosh
1Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
Abstract:
The linear and nonlinear viscoelastic response of networks of cross-linked and bundled cytoskeletal filaments demonstrates remarkable scaling with both frequency and applied prestress, which helps elucidate the origins of the viscoelasticity. The frequency dependence of the shear modulus reflects the underlying single-filament relaxation dynamics for 0.1-10 rad/sec. Moreover, the nonlinear strain stiffening of such networks exhibits a universal form as a function of prestress; this is quantitatively explained by the full force-extension relation of single semiflexible filaments.
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